Means for feeding water into washing machines



March 6, 1928. 1,661,445

E. v. PAYNE MEANS FOR FEEDING WATER INTO WASHING MACHINES Filed Oct. 30. 1926 Z1 IN VEN TOR ,ZT VPA wv ATTORNEY three conduits 1, 2, and 3, discharging into a Patented Mar. 6, 1928.

{PA-TENT 1 OFFICE.

E'BLE VINCENT rAYNE, or OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

MEANS non FnEnINGwATEn INTO .WASHING n'rAcI-rINEs.

Application filed 0ctober30, 1926. Serial No. 145,150.

. The present invention relates ;to iniprovementsin means for feeding water into washing machines, and one of the objects of the inventionis to provide means whereby soft water and hard water may be mixed in desired quantitites while being guided toward the washing machine, while means are provided in addition thereto for introducing steam into the mixed water for heating the same and for accelerating the flow thereof. A further objectof the invention is to provide valvesin the conduit leading the water and the steam toward the washing machine and to provide an automatic cut off in .connection with the valve which stops theflow 'of water and steam when the level in the washing machine reaches a predetermined height. A further object of the invention isto provide means bywhich all the valves are'operated simultaneously, a further object-is to provide means'allowing each of the valves to be setindependentlyfor producing the desired mixture. Further objects and advantages of my device will appear'as the "epe'cification proceeds.

The' preferred form of my invention is "illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 shows a front View of my device with certain portions of a valve operating mechanism omitted,

Figure 2 an enlarged detail view, partly shownjinasection, of a conduit system as viewed from line- 2-2 of'Figure 2,

Figure 3 a top plan view of my device with the receiving tank omitted.

Figure 4 a vertical section taken along line 4-4 of Figure 3, and

Figure 5 a detail view of a valve operating cam as viewed from line 5-5 of Figure 3.

While I have shown only the preferred form of the invention, I wish to have it understood that various changes or modifications may be made within the scope of the claims hereto attached without departing from the spirit of the invention. In its preferred form, my invention comprises the single conduit 4 which latter communicates thru a horizontal pipe 6 with the tank 7 of a washing machine or the like. The conduits 1 and 3 are connected to supplies of hard water and soft water respectively and enter into the conduit 4 at the same elevation, while the conduit 2, which connects to a some i is arr ng etween the We former conduits and enters the pipe 4 in con- .centric relation therewith, the discharge end 8 of this conduit extending below the discharge end of the conduits 1' and 2. By means of this arrangement, the steam entering thru the conduit 2 not only creates suction in the conduits 1 and 3 and thereby accelerates the flow of water to the latter two, but. also, in entering the .body ofthe water passing thru the conduit 4, heats the same so that the water reaches the tank 7 in a prop- I erly heated condition.

The three conduits 1, 2,-and 3 are provided with valves 11, 12, and 13 respectively, the valves being arranged at the same elevation and being of substantially thesame character. Each valve includes a valve seat 14 arranged vertically in the conduit, a ta pered valve head 16 adapted to seat thereon,

a stem 17 extending forwardly." from the seat and springmeans 18- tending to close the valve. The three valve stems 17 extend from their respective valves in parallel'relation in'the sameiplane and are adaptedto be operated by means of three cams 18, 19,

and 20. The cams 18'and120 arejsimilar in constructionand. are looseon a shaft 21 mounted in bearings 22 in front of the valve stems and have ratchets 23 and 24 fixed relative thereto which latter are provided with weighted handles 26. When the handles 26 are raised, the cam faces bear on the valve stems and forcethe latter inwardly, thereby opening the valves. Pawls '27pivoted as at 28 engage with the ratchets for holding the same 1n place and the pawls are held in engagement by means of a float 31 suspended from an arm 33 of the shaft 28 thru a rod'32. The float 31 is arranged in a vessel 34 communicating with the tank 7 thru the pipe 36 so that the level in the vessel 34 is the same as that in the tank It will be noted that as the water rises in. the tank 7 and in the vessel 34, the float 31 is lifted whereby the pawls 27 are disengaged from their respective ratchets.

The central cam 19 operating the valve 12 is revolvably mounted on the shaft 21 and may be interlocked with either ratchet 23 or 24 by causing a pin 37 extending from both faces ofthe cam to enter any one of a plurality of perforations 38 arranged in the adjacent faces of the ratchets 23 and 24. It will be noted that in this manner,the position of the cam 19 relative to either cam 45 0; 20 may be adjusted for adjusting the relative valve openings and that the central cam may be made to cooperate with either of the adjacent ratehets, a handle 39 allowing the central cam to be manipulated.

The operation of my device is as follows: It the operator desires a heated mixture of hard water and of soft water to be charged into the tank 7. he opens the valves 11 and 18 by raising the weighted handles 26 which operation causes the cams 1S and it) to ride on the respective valve stems and to force the valve heads from the seats. The port area of the valve opening in either case is dependent upon the extent to which the arms 20 have been raised. A small projection 41 associated with either cam prevents the same from going beyond an extreme position. Next the operator may open the valve 12 by raising the handle 39 ot the cam 19 and when the valve has been opened to allow a. proper amount of steam to pass the valve, he pushes the cam 19 sideways for engagement of the pin 37 with one of the perforations on either ratchet 23 or 2-1. The pawls 27 engaging, with the ratchcts due to the weight of the tloat 31 hold the same and thereby the three cams in their adjusted positions. Hard and soft water now enter the conduit at from the conduits l and 3 and are mixed with steam entering thru conduit 2, the steam accelerating the flow of the water, and at the same time heating the same. The water enters the tank 7 in properly heated condition, and the water level in the tank, as well as in the vessel 3%, begins to rise. At a predetermined level, the water commences to raise the float 31 whereby the ratchets 23 and 24. are disengaged from the pawls 27. As soon as this takes place the weighted handles 20 drop, releasing the valve stems of the pressure of the cams and allowing the valve to close, clue to'spring pressure.

It may be desired, of course, to use only one of the two conduits l and i) in which case only one of the two weighted handles 26 is raised while the cam 19 is interlocked with the ratchet of the handle which it is desired to use.

I claim:

1. In combination, a liquid conduit, a steam conduit discharging thereinto in the direction of flow for heating and accelerate ing the liquid, a tank adapted to receive the steamed liquid, a vessel coummnicating with the tank having a tloat therein, av valve in each conduit, a rocking shaft mounted relative to the valves, cams on the shaft operating the valves, manual means lllitlill'lllltltiflg the cams for opening the valves. means for locking the cams in active position and means operated by the tloat for releasin; the cams tor closing the valves when the liquid in the tank has reached a prcdeterniincd level.

2. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which the relative position of the cams may he adjusted.

In combination. a soft water conduit, :1 hard water conduit and. a steam conduit arranged in adjacent relation and joined to cause the hard and soft water to mix and the steam to be discharged into the mixed waters for heating the same and for accelerating the flow thereof, a tank receiving the heated mixed water, valves in the conduits, means for maintaining the valves open and means operated by the rising water level in the tank releasing said means for closing the valves when the water reaches a predetermined level.

t. A combination as defined in claim 3 in which the former means comprise a series of manually operated cams and locking means for the same and the latter means av float control releasing the locking means.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ERLE VINCENT PAYNE. 

